Water reservoir for travel irons and control therefor



April 12, 1966 R. s. KNAPP 3,245,160

WATER RESERVOIR FOR TRAVEL IRONS AND CONTROL THEREFOR Filed July 26, 1965 lllllllltll lllllIIlIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII III/b United States Patent WATER RESERVOIR FOR TRAVEL IRONS AND CONTROL THEREFOR Robert S. Knapp, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Knapp- Monarch Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 26, 1965, Ser. No. 474,766 4 Claims. (Cl. 38-77) This invention relates to an improved water reservoir for a travel steam iron, and more particularly to such a water reservoir with a simplified water feed control therefor.

Steam irons have a greater appeal than ordinary irons, and they provide greater flexibility of overall use because they can be used both for dry ironing and steam ironing. Travel irons, which permit a traveler to conveniently pack and carry a lightweight iron, have of course, been well known for years. The benefits of steam irons are also desired in travel irons. However, a travel steam iron, in order to be of a reasonably small size to conform with a travelers requirements, dictates that the water reservoir be separable from the iron and that means be provided to selectively control feed of water from the water reservoir to the iron.

Heretofore, separable water reservoirs for travel steam irons have been known. It is desirable that it be possible to cut off feed of water from such a reservoir when it is desired to use the iron as a dry iron, without having to remove the reservoir from the iron. Prior proposals for achieving a selective control of feed of water from such a reservoir have been expensive and complicated, and frequently have failed to provide an efficient and effective control.

Thus, one object of this invention is to provide a separable water reservoir for a steam travel iron, which reservoir carries in itself a convenient and highly effective control for selectively controlling feed of water therefrom, and which reservoir is characterized by its simplicity and inexpensiveness of construction.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a travel steam iron with the improved Water reservoir therefor;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the water reservoir, taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and showing the control therefor in the position for preventing feed of water from the reservoir;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the manual control for the reservoir, and is taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the control in the position for permitting flow of water from the reservoir to the steam iron; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view taken on line 55 of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawings there is shown in FIG. 1 a travel steam iron generally indicated at which includes a sole plate 12, a housing or shroud 14 above the sole plate, a handle 16, and a temperature controller generally indicated at 18. As is well known in the art of such travel steam irons, the sole plate 12 carries thereon an overlay plate 20, a portion of which is shown in FIG. 2, whichis tapped to receive thereinto the lower threaded end of a tubular stud 22, through which water is to be fed into a steam-generating space formed between the overlay plate 20 and the sole plate 12. The shank or central portion of elongated stud 22 extends at an incline outwardly through the casing, or shroud, 14, and provides at the upper end thereof a threaded tubular stud which is adapted to have secured thereto the Water reservoir for the travel steam iron. Thus for what has been described is well known in the art, and no novelty is claimed for said features.

In the improved water reservoir and control therefor of this application, there is provided an elongated upright container, or bulb, of a plastic material which serves as a water reservoir generally indicated at 30. The lower end of the upright container 30 is formed with a transversely arranged and flattened wall 32, which is apertured to receive therethrough a reduced portion of an elongated fitting that is generally indicated at 34. The reduced portion of fitting 34 is exteriorly threaded and extends through the aperture in wall 32. The provision of a sealing washer 36 and use of a clamping nut 38 operates to rigidly secure the fitting 34 in the wall 32 at the bottom of the container. The upper portion of the elongated fitting 34 forms a shoulder 40 which engages the inner side of wall 32 of the container 30. The fitting 34 is axially bored to provide a flow bore 42 therethrough, the lower end of which opens to an internally threaded enlarged socket 44 which is adapted to provide a screw-type connection between the fitting 34 and the upper threaded end of the tubular stud 22.

The fitting 34 also provides on the portion thereof which is positioned interiorly of the container a guide and valve seat means which includes cup-shaped socket 46 which serves the combined function of a guide and to define a valve seat at the upper or intake end of the flow bore 42. The cup-shaped socket 46 provides a smooth periphery which tends to funnel down to the valve seat at'the upper end of bore 42. The upper edge of fitting 34 is provided with a diametral slot 47 for engagement by a tool during the assembly process.

The upper end of the container is shaped to provide a frusto-conical shoulder 48 which merges at its inner edge with an upstanding exteriorly threaded neck 50 that surrounds the mouth, or entry, to the container. A molded threaded cap 52 is provided for screw threading to the neck 50, so as to provide a convenient closure for the container. An elongated control rod 54 is provided for reciprocal movement within the container, with the lower end of the control rod positioned in the cupshaped socket 46 portion of the fitting 34, and with the upper end of the control rod 54 extending through an aperture 56 formed in the frusto-conical shoulder 48 of the container.

The upper end of the control rod 54 has secured thereto a manual control or lever 58. An elongated coil spring 62 is positioned concentrically of the upper portion of control rod 54 and is located between a shoulder 64 provided on the control rod and a bearing washer 66 that abuts the underside of the shoulder 48. The spring 62 is a compression spring and operates to normally bias the control rod 54 to the closed-valve position shown in FIG. 2, whereat the lower rounded tip of the control rod 54, being of greater dimension than bore 42, serves as a valve that cooperates with the valve seat surrounding the intake end of the flow bore 42 so as to close off flow of liquid through the flow bore 42.

The container 30 is preformed, during molding thereof, to provide, on the shoulder 48 thereof, a cam means in the form of a high cam edge 68 which is adapted to be engaged by the underside of the control handle 58 when the control handle is swung from the OFF position as seen in FIG. 2 to the ON position shown in FIG. 4. When the handle 58 engages the cam edge 68 it is caused to move upwardly axially relative to the control rod 54 and causes the control rod 54 to also move upwardly against the bias of spring 62, thereby drawing the lower end of the control rod 54 away from the valve seating engagement with the intake end of the flow bore 42, to the valve-open position which is seen in FIG. 4. In the position of FIG. 4, the valve is open so that water may normally flow from the interior of the container 30 through flow bore 42, for supplying water to the steam generating chamber of the travel iron.

The axial depth of the socket, or recess, 46 of the cupshaped guide and valve seat means is greater than the height of the cam edge 68, so that when the valve is in full open position of FIG. 4, the lower end of control rod 54 is still located in contact with the wall of the socket 46, so that at no time is there dislocation of the valve end of control rod 54 relative to the fitting. It Will be understood that preferably the container 30 is formed of a molded plastic which is impervious to water, so as to retain water therein. The plastic being translucent to a degree also provides a visual indication to the user of the travel iron, so that when the amount of water in the container falls below a desired level then the user will know that it is to be refilled. One important feature of the construction herein described is that it is intended that not all the Water in the container 30 be discharged therefrom during usage. To that end, the fitting 34 extends axially into the container a certain length so that even when the Water level is low in the container there still remains some Water in the annular space surrounding the fitting 34 and between the fitting 34 and the adjacent Walls of the container 30. The presence of some small amount of Water in the container insures that the heat transmitted from the sole plate of the iron will not damage the plastic material of the container 30.

One advantage of the foregoing design is that the container or bulb 30 need not be removed in order to stop the flow of Water when the iron is to be used for dry ironing. In present installations, the container must be removed While dry-ironing, because there is no way to shut off the flow of water from the container.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A selectively detachable and controllable Water reservoir for a travel steam iron comprising, in combination: an elongated upright container, an elongated fitting carried at the bottom of the container and having a flow bore therethrough communicating with the interior of the container, said fitting including a tubular stud at one end through which water flows from said bore,

said stud being positioned exteriorly of said container and including means for screw connecting the container to a travel steam iron, the other end of said stud defining a cupped guide and valve seat located in the container and at the intake end of .said flow bore, an elongated control rod reciprocally mounted on said container and defining a valve at one end and coacting with said valve seatto selectively control flow of water through said :flow-bore, selectively movable means operatively associated with said control rod and including high and low cam elements for selectively reciprocating the said valve between open and closed positions, and the depth of the cupped guide being greater than the height of the high cam element so that the valve end of the control rod is positioned within the cupped guide for all positions thereof as the control rod reciprocates between open and closed valve positions.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the container is formed of a molded plastic with a water-filling mouth at the upper end thereof, a bore in the container adjacent the upper end thereof through which the other end of said control rod projects, said selectively movable means including a manual control connected to said other end of the control rod and cam means on said container engaged by said manual control for causing the valve to reciprocate between open and closed position as the manual control is moved relative to the cam means.

3. A device as .in claim 2, wherein the cam means includes a high cam element molded integrally with the container, the manual control being pivotable about the longitudinal axis of the control rod, and spring means normally biasing the control rod and the valve thereon toward the closed position.

4. A device as in claim 1 wherein said cupped guide and valve seat of the fitting extends into the container and is spaced from the upright Walls of the container to define an annular space between said portion of the fitting and the container walls in which water is retained to insure against heat damage to the container.

ReferencesCited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,536,676 5/1925 Leraas 15-589 2,761,228 9/1956 Zerveck et al. 3877 2,812,598 11/1957. Wood 3877.1 2,825,158 3/1958 Kuhn et a1 38-77 3,045,371 7/1962 Kurlinski 3877 FOREIGN PATENTS 509,374 7/ 1939 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Examiner. 

1. A SELECTIVELY DETACHABLE AND CONTROLLABLE WATER RESERVOIR FOR A TRAVEL STEAM IRON COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: AN ELONGATED UPRIGHT CONTAINER, AND ELONGATED FITTING CARRIED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONTAINER AND HAVING A FLOW BORE THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER, SAID FITTING INCLUDING A TUBULAR STUD AT ONE END THROUGH WHICH WATER FLOWS FROM SAID BORE, SAID STUD BEING POSITIONED EXTERIORLY OF SAID CONTAINER AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR SCREW CONNECTING THE CONTAINER TO A TRAVEL STEAM IRON, THE OTHER END OF SAID STUD DEFINING A CUPPED GUIDE AND VALVE SEAT LOCATED IN THE CONTAINER AND AT THE INTAKE END OF SAID FLOLW BORE, AN ELONGATED CONTROL ROD RECIPROCALLY MOUNTED ON SAID CONTAINER AND DEFINING A VALVE AT ONE END AND COACTING WITH SAID VALVE SEAT TO SELECTIVELY CONTROL FLOW OF WATER THROUGH SAID FLOW-BORE, SELECTIVELY MOVABLE MEANS OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID CONTROL ROD AND INCLUDING HIGH AND LOW CAM ELEMENTS FOR SELECTIVELY RECIPROCATING THE SAID VALVE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, AND THE DEPTH OF THE CUPPED GUIDE BEING GREATER THAN THE HEIGHT OF THE HIGH CAM ELEMENT SO THAT THE VALVE END OF THE CONTROL ROD IS POSITIONED WITHIN THE CUPPED GUIDE FOR ALL POSITIONS THEREOF AS THE CONTROL ROD RECIPROCATES BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED VALVE POSITIONS. 